Dredging-machine



(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Z; WIELIAMS'.

DREDGING MACHINE.

Patented Jan. 31,1882. I

. ih a yjen e N. PETERS. Phnlvm. v -Iyh0l'- Washington. D.C.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No-Model.)

Z. WILLIAMS.

DREDGING MACHINE.

Patented Jan. 31,1882.

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NITED STATES ATET Erica.

DREDGING=MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 253,145, dated January31,1882.

Application filed August 5, 1881.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that LZEPHANIAH WILLIAMS, ofOakland, county of Alameda, State of California, have invented anImproved Dredging- Machine; and I hereby declare the following to bea'full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to the class of dredging-machines and consists ofcertain improvements upon my invention secured to me by Letters PatentNo. 225,194, dated March 2, 1880.

The nature and object of my invention will be seen in the followingspecification and accompanying drawings, reference to which is herebymade, and in which- Figure 1 isa perspectiveview of my dredger. Fig. 2is a view showing means of advancing the dredger. Fig. 3 is a view ofthe inclined way. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are detailed views.

Let A represent the dredge-scow having an extended front, B, narrow, asshown,whereby shoulders or offsets are made on each side of the front,in which the towers O G are built. These towers are constructed offrame-work and are supported from the scow by means of a frame-work oftimbers, (here marked D,) and which form a support for the variousoperating mechanisms hereinafter explained. There are two towers-one oneach side-and they are not built as high as the tower shown in myprevious invention, one of the objects of the present invention being todischarge the mud at a low point, whereby the towers may be made low,and thus avoid any top-heaviness which would result from having a hightower. Within the towers O O are the ladders E E, adapted to have avertical play therein, sliding upon appropriate guides or ways. Theforward top sides of these ladders are made higher than the rear topsides, as shown, so

that the buckets which pass from the forward top side to the reartopside will have a downward incline and will discharge their contents.These ladders are the frames upon which the chains with their bucketsare hung and over which they travel, so that it is necessary that- (Nomodel.)

the towers are the short shafts K, carrying the bevel-gears G, whichmesh with bevel-gears H H upon shafts I, which extend outside thetowers, and are provided with worm-gears a, which mesh withworm-wheels 1) upon shafts J. Said shafts carry pinions c, which meshwith the racks F upon the ladders. The bevel-gears H H are upon eachside of the gears G, and have clutch mechanism operated by anyappropriate device, whereby one or the other may be thrown in or out ofgear in order to raise or lower the ladders. The shafts K receive theirmotion through belts driven from the first counter, as shown.

,L L represent various pulleys upon the ladders E E in convenientpositions for the chains M with their buckets N to pass over.

0 0 represent sprocket-wheelsjournaled in brackets attached to theladders. The shafts which carry the sprocket-wheels carry bevelgears Q,with which mesh pinions R upon the vertical shafts S. The pinions R areupon boxes d d, and have a groove within, into which their boxes dmaymove up and down upon the vertical shafts with the ladders, and yetcontinue to operate the chains. Thelower ends of the vertical shaftsSare provided with bevelgears T, which mesh with others, U, upon the endsof the shaftV,supported upon the second counter of theframe-work. Theshaft V carries a pulley, X. A belt transmits power to the shaft V fromthe first counter, A, which communicates by belt with driving-power onthe scow.

The operation thus farwill be as follows: Motion is transmitted from theengine to the first counter, thence to the second counter, and to theshaft V. This operates the vertical shafts S S, which operate thesprocket-wheels -O O, and thus revolve the chainsowith their buckets.Power is transmitted from the first counter to the shafts K, whichoperate either one of the gears H H, according to whether it is desiredto raise or lower the ladder, the gear G being thrown into engagementwith one or the other by any well-known shifting apparatus. I raise andlower the ladders, the feathered shafts S S allowing the drivingmechanism to move with the ladders.

\Vithin the towers, just below the second counter, are the spouts C 0,inclined downwardly and opening into the tank 1), which is supportedbetweenthetowers, as shown. Opening from this tank D is an extended way,E, upon which are pulleys, F, and sprocket'wheels G, upon its upper end,over which pass the chains H, carrying buckets I. The sprocketwheel Greceives motion from the drivingpower directly, by means of a bolt, asshown. The spout or way E is inclined upwardly and rearwardly, beingsupported from the scow appropriately. Immediately under the rear end ofthe inclined way E is the hopper J, having an extended spout K,supported by and under the boom L. \Vhen the buckets upon the laddersinfront descend and take up mud they carry it up to the top of the towers,and in passing over the higher forward side to the lower rear side areinclined sufficiently to discharge their contents through the top of thetowers into the inclined spouts (J ,from which the mud runs into thetank I). The buckets 1 then pick it up and carry it up to the end of theextended'way E, and there discharge it into the hopper J, from which itpasses through the spout K, and is finally discharged. By thisconstruction I obtain a sufficient altitude from which to discharge themud, without having to build high towers and thus render the scowtop-heavy.

At the rear of the scow are two spuds, M M. In the forward part of thescow is a horizontal gipsy, N, supported upon andjournaled in standards0, and carrying upon the end of its axis a bevel-gear, P.

Q is a shaft, having on one end a bevelgear, It, meshing with the gearP, and on its other a triple-faced pulley, T, the middle face beingloose upon the shaft. Belts S S, from the driving-power, one beingcrossed to reverse the motion, operate the pulley T. A chain, U, iswound upon the gipsyand extends outwardly to one side to an anchor inthe bed of the stream. Another chain, V, is wound upon the gipsy in areverse manner, and extends outwardly on the other side of the scow toanother anchor.

The object of these devices is as follows: I place the scow in positionand drop one of the spuds. I then place the proper belts S upon itsstationary face of the pulley T, and wind up one of the anchored chainsas the dredger works its way, so that its front makes an arc in the faceof the mud bank as the dredger moves on its spud. When the extent isreached as previously marked out by stakes, the other spud, which, bythe changed position of the scow, has advanced, is driven down, and theone which was down is raised, and the opposite chain wound up on thewindlass or gipsy by using the other belt S and placing the first beltupon the loose face of the pulley T. The scow is thus returned over anew and advanced are, as defined by its new spud or pivot-point, andthus it is made to advance by its own oscillation.

The advantage ofhaving two vertical towers and ladders is that I can runa double set of buckets, either from or to the scow, in the samedirection, and thus one set can carry its work up to where the otherbegan, and on the return-swing the other can work up to the first. Thusthe scow is not required to swing as far as if there were only one towerin the middle of the front of the scow, instead of on the corners. Itenables me to do a greater amount of work.

I am aware that broadly a spout similar to the spouts G G, and also areceiving-tank similar to the central receiving-tank, D, are not new,and such, therefore, I only make claim to in combination with mypeculiar mechanism.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a dredger, the vertical corner towers, C O, the ladders E E, withtheir racks F, said ladders being rendered adjustable within the towersby means of the gears G G, double gearing H H, shafts K andI,worm-screws a, wormwheels I), and pinions 0, substantially as hereindescribed.

2. In a dredger, the vertical corner towers, C (J, the adjustableladders E E, having pulleys L L, boxes (1 (I, and carrying-chains M,with buckets N, said chains being revolved by means of thesprocket-wheels O O, bevel-gears Q, T, and U, pinions R R, featheredshafts S S, and drivingshaft V, substantially as herein described.

3. In a dredger having vertical corner towers, O 0, adjustable ladders EE, and carrying-buckets N, theinclined spouts G O, with the centralreceiving-tank, D, when arranged substantially as and for the purposeherein described.

4. In a dredger, the combination of vertical corner towers, (J 0,adjustable ladders E E, carrying-buckets N, the inclined spouts C 0,central receiving-tank, D, and extended inclined way E, substantially asand for the purpose herein described.

5. In a dredger, the combination of the vertical towers C C, theadjustable ladders E E, with their system of traveling buckets N, andthe inclined way E, with its system of buckets I, substantially as andfor the purpose herein described.

6. In a dredger, the rear spuds, M M, in combination with the reversiblegipsy N and anchored side chains,U and V, substantially as and for thepurpose herein described.

7. The method of advancing a dredger, consisting of securing it at itsrear end alternately by means of spuds set on each side of the centralline, and causing its front to swing to one side or the other over anarc, each spud acting alternately as a pivot-point, and being advancedat each swing of the scow, substantially as herein described.

8. The method of dredging by means of a drcdger having towers andadjustable ladders where the other began, each spud acting alon itsforward corners, said ladders carrying ternately as a pivot-point, andadvancing at [0 the traveling dredgingbuckets, which coneach swing ofthe scow substantially as heresists in advancing said dredger bysecuring it in described.

atits rear end alternately by spuds set on each In witness whereof Ihave hereunto set my side of the central line, and causing its front Ihand. to swing alternately to one side or the other I ZEPHANIAHWILLIAMS. over an arc, and causing one system of dredg- Witnesses:ing-buckets to stop at a point on the are WM. F. BOOTH,

J. H. BLOOD.

